


Carol for a Lost Friend

by tulirepo



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Gen, Journalist Okumura Eiji, M/M, Past Drug Use, Reunions, Secret Identity, Superhero Ash Lynx
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-28 14:44:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17184941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tulirepo/pseuds/tulirepo
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Eiji wants to give back something to the hero who always saves him. However, he doesn’t expect to find out something he wouldn’t have dreamed of.The fic where Eiji is a journalist who knows too much and Ash is a stressed hero dressed in black.





	Carol for a Lost Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [artemon_raven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemon_raven/gifts).



> Once in a while I manage to post a Christmas fic... for Christmas! :D (Okay, almost.)  
> Artemikolt gives me the best ideas, and I love brainstorming with her. <3
> 
> This started as a Miraculous Ladybug AU, but then it unraveled to something more and darker and then antihero Lynx was born. 
> 
>  
> 
> Boldog karácsonyt @artemikolt! <3

“This should do it,” Eiji nodded to himself, stepping back to see his work. He planned on celebrating Christmas mostly alone as his roommate went home, so the huge Christmas tree he got wasn’t necessary. It just made the apartment look less lonely. 

Well, if his plan went well, he wouldn’t be alone this evening…

Eiji adjusted the golden garlands one more time and pocked an ornament before setting the finial on the table. The tree was pretty tall. He could probably reach the top from a chair, but he didn’t want to risk falling between the spiky branches. They stung him enough when he was decorating. But he knew the perfect man for the job and he got a dinner to share. 

Eiji grinned as he sent a short message to Lynx who had saved him so many times. Hopefully, his text sounded enough serious for Lynx to show up… Eiji was afraid that if he’d invited him plainly, he wouldn’t show up. But if Lynx got worried about Eiji’s safety, he would sure come to check on him. Making him worry might not be the nicest thing Eiji had done. 

It wasn’t like he was constantly looking for danger – danger found him thanks to his job and… hobby.

Now at least, he practiced another hobby that was almost completely safe. Well, apart from that time when he almost burnt down the apartment. Sing was kind enough not to tease him for it… constantly. 

For tonight, Eiji made a Christmas menu for two and was all excited what would Lynx say when he saw it. Would he be mad for dragging him over with an excuse of needing help or touched that Eiji thought of him? Eiji hoped for the second. Lynx always gave off a lonely aura, and it was months of begging and almost getting killed until he gave his number to Eiji. He was supposed to call him only if he got in trouble… 

Eiji soon heard familiar scratching on the glass, and he rushed to the window to let Lynx in before his sharp claws would do the job. 

“I can’t believe you choose this time to get in trouble!” Lynx scolded him, climbing in gracefully. “What happened?”

“Merry Christmas, Lynx,” Eiji smiled. Lynx vivid green eyes narrowed behind his black mask. 

“I’ve told you I hate surprises! It’s too dangerous to simply call me over for… fun!” he referred to the time when Eiji threw a Halloween party out of blue, inviting his other friends too. It wasn’t his brightest idea because Lynx seemed to absolutely hate everybody, but Eiji learned from his mistake.

“Come on, Lynx, it’s Christmas Eve. I’m sure that all the gangsters are spending it with their families instead of plotting.”

“You can never be careful enough!”

“Okay… did I interrupt anything?”

“No,” Lynx sighed. “But still. You’re too careless.”

“One night won’t hurt. Besides, I really need help with something. You see, I’ve got a pretty big tree, and I can’t reach the top of it because I’m afraid of falling… would you put the finial up for me?”

“So I should fall instead of you.”

“You’re like a cat. You won’t fall.”

“Why do you even get such a big tree if you’re afraid of heights…” he grumbled, giving in. He made grabby hands at Eiji, taking a chair and standing up on it. It was a surrealistic experience to see Lynx in his kitchen, all in black with knifes bound on his calves as he put a star on the top of Eiji’s Christmas tree. Eiji wanted to capture this moment with his phone, but he didn’t want to play with his luck. Lynx could still get all pouty and leave if Eiji wasn’t careful, and then Eiji would be left alone with all the delicious food he prepared in gratitude. “Done. Are you happy?”

“Excellent,” Eiji grinned, turning on the lights of the tree. 

“Can I go?” Lynx asked, slowly moving towards the window. 

“Absolutely not,” Eiji said firmly. “You know… I cooked quite a lot. It would be nice to share.”

“You could have simply asked me to come over.”

“And would have you come then?”

“Probably not,” Lynx admitted. 

“See, I knew it,” Eiji laughed though it felt forced even for him. What if he assumed too much, and Lynx didn’t even like his company? Maybe Eiji irritated him. “Please, stay if you can. Take this as a thank you for all the times you’ve saved my life.”

“Okay, fine,” Lynx gave in. “But just because I came here hungry.”

Despite of trying to sound irritated, Eiji saw from his eyes as his expression softened. Eiji couldn’t hold back a happy smile spreading on his face as he turned to get the food. 

“Sit down, I’ll bring the dinner!”

Lynx looked lost in Eiji’s kitchen as he waited with sitting down until Eiji got back with the ham and grilled vegetables. He took the other seat only when Eiji took his usual chair. 

“Please, take as much as you like. You’re the guest.”

Lynx cut a small piece of the ham and took from the vegetables. Eiji made for himself potatoes since Lynx reminded him of an old friend who was also very wary of his weight and figure. And it seemed like he got the side dish right. After getting the food on the plate, Lynx looked up, and now Eiji noticed the problem: his mouth was covered by his mask. 

“Ah, I didn’t think about that… you can turn around or…”

“It’s fine, I trust you,” Lynx said with a sigh, pulling up the mask to his nose. Eiji got a glimpse at his face for the first time: Lynx had nice jaw-line and pouty full lips. Eiji could see the tip of his sharp nose… he looked awfully pale. A painful remembrance of a long-gone friend. Eiji swallowed and blushed as their eyes met.

He shouldn’t stare too much. He pried Lynx’s privacy enough with making him show a part of his face. 

They dug into the food, only the clattering of their forks and knives to heard. Eiji tried not too creepily peak if Lynx liked his cooking. The other man ate calmly, clearing everything from his plate and taking from the food for a second time, catching Eiji’s eyes again. 

“What?”

“I’m so glad you enjoy it.”

“It’s bearable.”

“You sound like one of my friends,” Eiji snorted. 

“The big one who’s too soft to put Moon Dragon in jail?”

Eiji had to giggle at this because this time he didn’t feel like defending Sing. That snake wanted to poison him all the time. “No, this friend is… long gone.”

An awkward silence fell on them. Eiji watched Lynx eating while his own appetite disappeared. 

“Okay, I accept you’re a good cook,” Lynx said. “I can’t stand when you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad.”

“You’re crying.”

Eiji touched his own face; indeed it was wet with tears. “Shit… Excuse me.” He stood up hastily. He had to get out of Lynx sight before he fully broke down. 

He thought he would be fine. Yes, Lynx made him remember… _remember Aslan_ , but this wasn’t supposed to hurt this much… Eiji didn’t think that having him over would rile him up so much. 

Seven years had passed after all.

Eiji leant over the sink and washed his face with cold water, hoping that the shock on his skin would be enough to stop him cry. He shouldn’t cry because then Lynx would ask what’s wrong, and Eiji would surely dump on him the whole story of his life. So he held onto the porcelain until his tears stopped. By the time he next looked up on his reflection, he looked alright. 

Lynx would see through his forced smile, but Eiji was practiced in denial. 

“Hey, sorry…” he rushed back to the kitchen. “I guess I had too much mustard…. Lynx?” he blinked at the other’s empty seat. Lynx wouldn’t be that rude that he would leave him alone… or would he?

“Here,” he heard his voice from the living room.

“Shit,” Eiji breathed, marching there. 

Not having Sing at home meant he had free reign over the whole apartment. He could bring out his work from his bedroom and plaster it all over the living room so he could see it through better. But this wasn’t something for Lynx to see, he would only scold him for being irresponsible and looking for trouble. 

Eiji didn’t have night vision like Lynx so he turned on the lights. Lynx stood in front of the corkwood board filled with pictures of missing people, mostly young adults. There were notes with connections Eiji could figure out on his own, and in the corner was a photo of all three of them from the day they graduated, all smiling and looking forward for the future. That was the last time Eiji saw his high school best friends… Aslan and Shorter got a scholarship in New Jersey and then they never came back. 

Shorter’s body was found floating in the harbour one week later. 

“Eiji…” Lynx’s voice shook. 

“You wouldn’t understand,” Eiji started. “I don’t care about the danger, and I have enough of sitting and waiting. One of my friends is dead, but Aslan… Aslan’s body was never found, and I refuse to believe he’s dead until I see his body!” Eiji didn’t care about Lynx seeing him cry anymore, or that he wouldn’t care about the story of his life. 

“Fuck, Eiji, you’ve always been stubborn,” Lynx muttered without turning to him. His voice was still too strange. Eiji marched to him and grabbed his work possessively. 

“I won’t give up on him whatever you say!”

“Eiji…”

“Stop saying my name like that!” Eiji snapped because it was too much. The Lynx he knew wouldn’t even call him by his name and he wouldn’t sound so… broken. “What is with you anyway, going through my stuff?”

“I was looking for you.”

“You can’t just go around in one’s home and…”

“Eiji, look at me.”

Eiji stared stubbornly at the article of his friends missing. He was one minute away of completely breaking down and staring to sob. 

“Please…” Lynx softly touched his shoulder as he whispered in that too soft tone. Eiji couldn’t resist anymore even if tears swelled in his eyes. 

He watched as Lynx pulled off his mask slowly, carefully. His golden hair stuck to the fabric, standing up from the electric charging when he finally pulled it away. 

Lynx’s real face was Aslan Callenreese. He looked so grown up, his shoulders and back broader than years ago but overall he was still so thin. Aslan was crying too, his plump lips shaking as he opened his mouth to a hoarse apology. Eiji wanted to yell at him, hit his chest, but all he could do was sobbing, muffling it with his hands as he stared at Aslan wide-eyed. Maybe he fell in the bathroom, hit his head and had now a vivid hallucination. 

“Why…” he chocked out. “All these years… I’ve been looking for you.”

“I couldn’t tell you…”

“My ass, you’ve been here all the time!” Eiji’s shoulders fell forwards, his hair falling in his face. “I thought you… I was crazy from worry!”

“I know… I’m sorry…”

Eiji gave up on resisting the pull he felt towards Aslan, leaning his head to his shoulder and grabbing the leader-like fabric on his chest. Aslan stumbled backwards from the sudden push, his hands faltering before his arms came around Eiji’s shoulders, shaking. 

And they cried, shaking in each other’s arms. Eiji gave out all his sadness and suffering until his head started to hurt and he felt like he couldn’t physically cry more. At some point they moved to the couch, still holding onto each other. Eiji leant to Aslan’s side and breathed in his closeness. 

“Will you…” he gulped, looking for his courage. “Will you tell me what happened?”

He not only heard but also felt Aslan’s heavy sigh. 

“If I really have to.”

“Please,” Eiji said. “Would… asking help?” When he saw his old friend nodding, he took a big breath. “What was that… scholarship you got?”

“Goldzine… he never got caught, but he’s hoarding up young people to do human experiments on. He offers it… as a degree in biology or chemistry. He would send you in his lab… sedate you, and in the next morning you would wake up with a drug injected in your veins. Everybody reacts differently, but it’s supposed to give you superpowers.”

“And Shorter?” Eiji whispered, dreading the answer.

“He reacted badly. They… they got rid of him.”

Eiji was wrong when he thought he had no tears left. Aslan at least speared the details…

“I… left when I was strong enough and… you know the rest.”

“So this is why there are suddenly so many people with inhuman powers.”

“Yeah… some of us could flee. The other… they most likely joined forces with Goldzine. Or went mad.” 

Eiji shuddered from the thought of Goldzine and his superhuman army. This was more than the police was prepared for and he dreaded the day when they would decide to attack. Thinking about the times Lynx caused trouble to the police and how they couldn’t handle even him…

“Hey,” Aslan bumped into his shoulder. “I’m sorry for ruining your Christmas. This is a lot to take in.”

“Are you kidding me?” Eiji glared, pulling away. “It is, but at least I got one friend back.” Upon seeing Aslan’s relieved face, he scowled. “But don’t think you’ll get away this easily for not telling me the truth. You have to help me stop this madness.”

Aslan turned paler. “Eiji, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into…”

“I think I do.”

“I… I don’t think I could do any change. I’m all alone.”

Grabbing his hand, Eiji turned back to him. “You’re not alone anymore. Let me help you.”

Aslan opened his mouth probably to protest, but Eiji hushed him. 

“You don’t have to answer me now. Just think about it. And please, don’t cut me out of your life ever again.”

“Like I could,” Aslan sighed. 

Eiji smiled. “Okay, now I like this better. Let’s end this conversation… we still have the dessert.”

“God, you want to stuff me like on that stupid surprise party when we were sixteen?”

“Oh, so this is why the great Lynx hates surprises?” Eiji smirked. “Come on, you’ll love it. It’s your favourite… pumpkin pie.”

Aslan’s offended expression was priceless. 

“Just kidding. I haven’t looked at pumpkin since… you know.”

Pulling his friend by his hand, he led him back in the kitchen. The sharp claws scratched his skin, and he wondered if Aslan could remove them or they belonged to him permanently. One day he would ask him about all the changes he went through... but it wouldn’t be today. 

Today would belong to the joy of being reunited with an old friend, stuffing their faces with food until they were about to burst, and hoping that this all wasn’t only a vivid dream Eiji would wake up from.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, this concept could take a whole long fic, but I'm too lazy to write it. 
> 
> Let me know what you think here or on [tumblr](http://tulikettu.tumblr.com/). ;)


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